


Spider-Man? Who’s He?

by shewritesall



Category: Marvel, Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Avengers Family, Discovery, Iron Dad, Iron Man - Freeform, Spider-Man - Freeform, tony stark has a son
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-07-30
Updated: 2018-07-29
Packaged: 2019-06-17 23:25:20
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 11
Words: 9,479
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15472437
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/shewritesall/pseuds/shewritesall
Summary: Peter is Spider-Man.  No one knows but Ned and his brother Harley.  This is all fine until one day, Tony Stark comes asking for Spider-Man to appear at his youngest son's 7th birthday party.  The problem?  Tony Stark is his dad and he has no idea Peter is Spider-Man.





	1. Chapter 1

Peter woke up to Theo jumping excitedly on his bed.He groaned and rolled over, swatting at his little brother.It didn't do much to stop the kid, though.He just dropped onto the bed and laid beside Peter, looking at him with wide eyes.Peter stared at him blankly, blinking a couple of times to adjust to the light in his room.Why did FRIDAY turn the panels on his window?He liked it better when they were shut.He figured Theo must have asked for her to turn them, though, since he didn't like dark rooms and Peter's room could get pretty dark with the panels closed.

"What do you want, Theo?"  Peter mumbled, trying to push Theo away so he could go back to sleep.  Finals had been awful and he was fully intending on getting enough sleep during the day he could catch up on Spider-Man duties at night.  Last night had been the first night in over a week that he had gone out as Spider-Man and there had been a lot more crime than expected. 

"Spider-Man was out last night!"  Theo exclaimed, sitting up and grinning down at Peter.  The six year old boy absolutely adored the hero and Peter knew this.

"That's great,"  Peter muttered, draping an arm over his eyes.  Normally he would have encouraged Theo to talk about Spider-Man just so he could feel like he was doing something right, but at the moment, all he wanted to do was go back to sleep.  "Can you go bother Harley?  I'm tired."  Theo's face dropped but he nodded.  He climbed off Peter's bed and stumbled out of the room, going to find Harley.

Peter would have fallen right back asleep, but he felt bad about kicking Theo out of his room.He knew Harley didn't like listening to Theo talk about Spider-Man endlessly so he was often the one Theo went to.With a guilty conscience, he forced himself get out of bed and dress so he could find Theo.It didn't take more than ten minutes before he wandered down the hall and knocked on Harley's door.Harley yelled for him to come in and he poked his head in.Theo was kneeling on Harley's bed, bouncing while Harley sat at his desk looking less than thrilled to hear about Spider-Man.

"Hey, Theo,"Peter said, opening the door further and leaning against the frame."Sorry about earlier, I was really tired.I'd love to hear all about Spider-Man now."Harley looked relieved as Theo jumped off his bed and followed Peter out of Harley's room, telling him all about Spider-Man's achievements during the night.

Peter often wondered if it made him conceited to listen to his little brother praising his alter ego, but he always ignored that thought.Some people thought Spider-Man was a menace and only reported on him as though he were a criminal.Others, like Ned and Theo, thought Spider-Man was amazing and should be an Avenger.As much as Peter tried to avoid the negative comments on Spider-Man, he couldn't do entirely.Instead, he told himself that listening to Theo practically worship Spider-Man made up for all the awful things others said.

"And he even saved Mr. Delmar's store from a robbery!"Theo exclaimed, skipping beside Peter as they walked into the kitchen.Pepper was making breakfast while Tony was setting the table."Mommy!Daddy!"

"Theo!"Tony exclaimed, turning around to pick Theo up as he jumped into his dad's arms.

"Did you hear about Spider-Man?"Theo asked.Tony nodded and Theo squirmed out of his arms.Tony handed Theo a handful of forks to put around the table and Theo told Tony everything FRIDAY had told him about Spider-Man's nightly adventures.

"Seems like he's not dead after all,"Tony said.Theo nodded."Wonder what he was up to all this time."

"Maybe he had finals,"Peter suggested, hugging Pepper and kissing her cheek."Morning, Mom."

"Good morning, Peter,"Pepper replied.She turned and handed Peter something to take to the table and he set it in the centre of the table.

"What makes you think he's in school still?  Maybe he's my age,"  Tony said.  Peter chuckled.

"Dad, I love you, but there's no way a man your age could swing around New York like that,"  Peter said.  Tony rolled his eyes and Harley raised an eyebrow as he walked into the room.  Peter filled him in and he chuckled.

"Yeah, Dad,"  Harley said, patting Tony's back.  "I'm with Peter on this one." 

"Pep, you're on my side, right?"  Tony asked.  Pepper gave him a look.  "What about you Theo?  You think I could be Spider-Man."  Theo shook his head and Tony sighed.  "Fine.  Dash my hopes and dreams before breakfast."

"Speaking of which, you all need to sit and eat if you want to be on time for school,"  Pepper said, bringing the last thing to the table.  They all sat down and started eating.  "Theo, have you decided on your birthday party theme?"  Pepper asked, scooping eggs into her plate.  Theo nodded.

"Spider-Man!"  he exclaimed.  It was the same as last year and the year before that.  It wasn't that much of a surprise.  "And I want him to come too!"  Peter almost choked on his eggs and Harley had trouble swallowing his drink.  Pepper and Tony noticed.

"It's okay if Theo wants another Spider-Man party,"  Tony said, giving them sharp looks.  He had mistaken their surprise for mocking.  "I don't think we can get Spider-Man to come, buddy."  Theo frowned.

"But you're Iron Man,"  Theo reminded him.  "Can't you find him on his patrol and ask him?  I'm sure he'll say yes!"

"I'll try,"  Tony promised.  Peter and Harley looked at each other, discretely giving the other a panicked look.  If Tony promised he would do something for one of his sons, he would do it.  That meant Peter would have to look out for Iron Man on his patrol.  He already had to worry about someone finding him missing at the Tower, now he also needed to worry about what to do when confronting Iron Man.


	2. Chapter 2

Once Harley and Peter were at school, they panicked together.That's how Ned found them: Peter pacing in front of his locker, mumbling something, while Harley thought out loud, trying to come up with suggestions.Ned wasn't sure if he should interrupt them, but he needed to get to his locker and it looked like whatever the two brothers were panicking about was big.He stopped Peter in his tracks and Peter looked up at him with wide eyes.Ned asked what had happened, worried Mr. Stark has found out about Peter being Spider-Man.

"Theo wants Spider-Man to appear for his birthday,"  Peter said.  Ned didn't see the problem with this.  Peter would just wear his mask and everything would be fine.  "No, Ned!  Mom and Dad will be upset that I'm not there and if Spider-Man doesn't go, Dad won't like him any more and Theo will be crushed." 

"Oh,"  Ned said.  Harley nodded.

"There's no solution to this!"  Peter exclaimed, throwing his arms up in the air then slamming into his locker.  Harley rolled his eyes.  Peter was always the dramatic one. 

"We'll figure something out,"  Harley promised.  Peter gave him a doubtful look, but before he could say anything, the bell rang.  Harley ran off to his first class and Ned and Peter walked together to theirs.  

Peter didn't pay attention to anything being said.  He was too busy trying to figure out how to solve his whole Spider-Man and Theo situation.  He couldn't have someone else wear the suit.  The only people who knew were Ned and Harley.  He was suspicious that Michelle might know, but none of them could wear the suit and pull off being Spider-Man.  Theo would be able to tell they weren't the real deal and then they would have a whole different problem.  No matter how much time Peter spent thinking up solutions, he had none that would actually work by lunch.

"So, any ideas?"  Harley asked, standing in line behind Peter.  He shook his head.  "Me neither.  I can't figure out any that are fool proof." 

"Maybe I should just do it,"  Peter said.  He grabbed a sandwich from the serving deck and put it on his tray.  "Give Mom And Dad some like about not being able to go to Theo's birthday party then go as Spider-Man."  Harley shrugged.

"They'll be upset,"  he reminded Peter.  Peter sighed and nodded.  "They probably won't even let you go, so you would have to sneak out anyway and then you might as well be grounded for life." 

"I'll think of something,"  Peter said.  He left the line and joined Ned at their regular table.  Michelle sat a few seats down, reading her book and eating.  Harley went to his own table full of friends.

"Any grand plans?"  Ned asked.  Peter shook his head.  He glanced at Michelle as he told Ned about his issue then stopped.  "What?"

"Hey, MJ?"  Peter asked.  He had a new plan and it could actually work.  "Do you think you could tell my Dad we have Decathlon practice Thursday afternoon?"  Michelle raised an eyebrow.

"You want me to lie to your dad?"  she asked.  Peter hesitated before nodding.  "Why?  Do you have a secret date or something?"

"Can you just do it?"  Peter asked, ignoring her pointed stare.  "I have to be somewhere else but he can't know.  It's a surprise."  Michelle shrugged.

"Sure,"  she replied, picking her book back up.  "I can convince your dad there's a mandatory Decathlon practice during your little brother's birthday so you can make a surprise appearance."

"Wait, you know?"  Peter asked.  Sure, he'd had his suspicions but he didn't think he was actually right.  Usually he didn't guess right when trying to figure out a girl.

"Of course I do,"  she said.  "You keep your suit in your backpack."  Peter nodded, suddenly wondering how no one else knew.

"Thanks, MJ,"  he said.  She nodded once then went back to reading.  "Now I just have to convince my dad I can't be there."

"Good luck,"Michelle replied.She didn't pay them any more attention as they talked.By the time the bell rang for their next class, Peter and Ned had come up with a fairly fool proof way to convince Peter's dad he needed to be at Decathlon for Theo's birthday.  They weren't sure if his mom would buy it, but as long as Tony was okay with it, he could defend Peter when Pepper got after him.  Peter wasn't excited about throwing himself in his mom's line of fury, but he didn't want to have Iron Man hating Spider-Man, so he decided to risk it.  Besides, how bad could it go?


	3. Chapter 3

"Karen, how have you been?"  Peter asked, swinging through New York after school.  Harley had told their dad Peter was at Ned's house (the usual lie), so Peter was free to go Spider-Manning. 

"Good for not being updated over the weekend,"  she replied.  Peter rolled his eyes, spotting a mugging.  He dropped down between the man and the other man who was handing over his wallet. 

"Didn't your mother teach you not to steal?"  Peter asked.  He webbed the gun away from the man and strung him up.  He turned back to the man who looked pretty shaken up.  "Here, go buy a churro,"  Peter said, fishing a five dollar bill from his suit and handing it to the man.  He nodded shakily and took the bill. 

"Thank you, Spider-Man,"  he replied.  Peter grinned even though the man couldn't see it.  He saluted him then shot off into the air once again, continuing his conversation with Karen. 

"I figured you'd just be happy we were out again,"  he told his AI.  He was pretty proud of her.  After hacking his dad's computer, he managed to get FRIDAY's coding and used that as the base for Karen.  Of course, he'd made some changes and Karen wasn't nearly as advanced as FRIDAY (she didn't need to run a house and a company, just Peter's suit).  However, he'd had to figure out how to connect her to his dad's private satellites without raising suspicion which was much harder than he'd originally thought.  Harley and Ned were very proud when he showed Karen to them. 

"Well, it would be nice to be updated too,"  Karen said.  Peter smiled and shook his head.  "I'm getting alarms from a store on Chelsea Ave." 

"On my way,"  Peter said, spinning in mid air and heading towards the area Karen led him too.  When he got there, he immediately recognised Theo and his friend Evan in the park.  Right across the street, someone was trying to rob the small jewelry store.  Peter crashed in through the door, thankful he hadn't broken it like the last door he'd swung through. 

"Turn off the alarms!"  the man yelled at the clerk.  Peter leaned against the door frame casually, waiting to see how long it would take before he was noticed. 

"Spider-Man!"  the clerk exclaimed happily.  That was his cue.  Peter webbed the gun out of the guy's hands and tried to pin him down.  He dodged the web and pulled out a knife.  He hurled it at Peter, but Peter ducked just in time and it sailed through the window.  People on the sidewalk screamed and ducked for cover.  Peter didn't have time to assure them they were safe before the man tried to hit him. 

"Hey, pal!"  Peter chirped, blocking the man's punch and kicking his gut.  The man keeled over and groaned.  Peter rammed his elbow into the man's back and he collapsed.  "Robbing is bad,"  he said.  He webbed the robber and hung up from the ceiling. 

"Thank you,"  the clerk said, covering the phone he was currently using to call the police. 

"No problem!"  Peter replied.  He grabbed the knife from the sidewalk and tossed it in the trash.  He was about to web away when kids from the park surrounded him.  Theo was one of them.  

"Spider-Man!  Will you come to my birthday party?"  Theo asked.  His voice was drowned out by all the other kids asking questions, so it wasn't hard for Peter to pretend he hadn't heard him.  He did notice the sad look on Theo's face when he didn't get a reply and felt bad.  Maybe he shouldn't have ignored the kid. 

"Hey,"  he said, grabbing Theo's attention.  Theo looked up eagerly.  "When's your birthday?"  Theo grinned wider than Peter had ever seen him smile before. 

"Thursday at Stark Tower from 3:30PM-6PM,"  Theo said excitedly.  Peter smiled at his baby brother and nodded. 

"I'll be there, kid,"  he promised.  Theo's smile got even wider (which Peter had previously thought was impossible) and he hugged Peter tightly.  "What's your name, birthday boy?" 

"Theodore Anthony Stark!  But I go by Theo,"  he said.  Peter knew this of course, but he pretended he didn't, telling Theo that was a pretty big name for such a small kid.  Theo frowned just like Peter knew he would.  "I'm not small!  I'm turning seven!"  Theo held up six fingers then hurried to add another.  Peter chuckled and ruffled his hair. 

"Yeah, I guess you are a big boy,"  he said.  Theo nodded.  Peter, satisfied that he'd made Theo happy, turned to talk to the other six kids.  He ended up staying at the park and playing pirates with them for an hour.  He kept his mask and full suit on the whole time, but the kids didn't seem to care.  They were just happy to play with Spider-Man.  Peter was sure he would hear all about when he got home from 'Ned's house', but at least now he wouldn't have to worry about Iron Man finding him.  Theo would be sure to tell his dad he'd already talked to Spider-Man and he had promised to come.  Tony was much more likely to recognise Peter's voice. 

"Bye, Spider-Man!"  Theo waved as he and Evan left.  Peter waved back then hurried down the streets to finish up his crime fighting. 

"Karen, remind me to put a voice modifier in my suit tomorrow afternoon,"  Peter said, wanting to remember before Theo's party. 

"Would you like me to also remind you not to patrol tomorrow?"  Karen asked.  Peter frowned in confusion, swinging through New York and happy to find nothing needed his attention. 

"Why?"  Peter asked.  He dropped down in the alley he'd left his backpack and changed out of his suit, leaving his mask on to communicate with Karen while he dressed. 

"So you can update me and create a voice modifier,"  Karen told him.  Peter said a soft 'oh' then nodded. 

"Yeah, text me tomorrow when school gets out,"  Peter said.  Karen said she would, so Peter said goodbye and took off his mask.  He pulled his backpack over his shoulders and walked out of the alley.  He hurried to Ned's house to hang out for an hour or so before Happy came to pick him up.


	4. Chapter 4

Peter was working in the lab with his dad, writing an update for Karen and trying to figure out how to create a voice modifier.  Theo had told each family member the story of how he had played with Spider-Man at the park, but now he was in bed so Peter was able to peacefully plan for Theo's birthday.  Harley was at his own desk, working on homework instead of lab work, and their dad was updating his suit.  Peter had thought about asking his dad how to create a voice modifier, but that would raise questions and Peter didn't want more questions than he was going to get when he told his parents tomorrow morning he couldn't go to Theo's birthday party. 

"What's the chemical formula for adenine, guanine, thymine, and uracil?"  Harley asked.  Tony glanced at up Peter, knowing his oldest would know off the top of his head. 

"Adenine is C5H5N5, but the structure is all weird,"  Peter said, writing down a quick note for Karen's update.  "Guanine is the same but with one oxygen at the end.  Thymine is C5H6N2O2.  Uracil is C4H4N2O2.  Do you need the structure too?"  Peter asked.  Tony just looked at him in awe, shaking his head and returning to his Iron Man suit.  Peter had definitely spent a lot of time with Bruce growing up. 

"No thanks, Einstein,"  Harley said, trying to write down the four formulas before he forgot.  Peter didn't look up from his work, opening up some files on the Iron Man suit FRIDAY kept available on the Stark Family private server. 

"It's Miescher, actually,"  Peter corrected.  Harley rolled his eyes, finishing his homework sheet and closing his textbook.  Peter looked at the clock, surprised to see it was already 10:39PM. 

"I'm headed to bed,"  Harley announced.  Peter sighed, knowing his dad was going to send him upstairs too.  He locked his hologram computer and grabbed all his notes. 

"Alright,"  Tony said.  Harley walked out of the lab and Peter followed.  "Goodnight, boys!" 

"Goodnight!"  they both called back. 

* * *

Peter woke up the next morning to FRIDAY telling him breakfast was ready.  His window panels were opening and Peter covered his eyes with his arm.  FRIDAY just raised her volume and Peter groaned, glaring at the ceiling and throwing his covers off.  The second his feet hit the floor, FRIDAY stopped and he stumbled down the hall to the kitchen.  His dad had just made coffee and Harley was helping himself while neither parent was paying attention.  Peter knew better.  His spider senses would drive him insane if he drank the stuff, so he was stuck with just waking up naturally.  He hated it. 

"Good morning, Peter,"  Pepper said.  Peter kissed her cheek as usually and muttered a good morning.  She handed him something to take to the table and he did.  Soon Theo joined them and Harley brought over the last breakfast dish.  After Peter had eaten a bit, he was more awake and forcing himself to find the courage to tell his parents he wouldn't be at Theo's birthday. 

"I'm not gonna be at Theo's party!"  he blurted suddenly.  Pepper and Tony both looked at him and he realised he'd interrupted them.  "Sorry,"  he said quietly.  They forgot about their conversation, though, more interested in why Peter thought he could skip Theo's party. 

"Peter, I know it's been the same theme for years, but you can't just ditch,"  Pepper said.  Peter shook his head, eyes wide. 

"No, it's not that!"  he insisted.  Tony motioned for him to explain and he did.  "MJ scheduled a Decathlon practice Thursday after school." 

"Tell her to change it,"  Tony said as if that was final.  Peter glanced at Harley who just watched him like he was watching a TV show. 

"I did,"  Peter lied.  _Great_ ,  he thought.  Now he was making lies up on the spot.  That never led to good things.  "She said Mr. Harrington is requiring it since otherwise we will have gone a week without practice." 

"Strange,"  Pepper commented.  Peter gulped and Harley struggled to keep the interesting look off his face.  "It's the end of the school year.  Of course you won't have practice."  Peter shrugged as casually as he could. 

"That's what I said,"  he told her.  Pepper looked doubtful.  This wasn't going well.  "He said he wants us to be even more prepared for next year." 

"I guess,"  Pepper said.  She glanced at Theo who didn't seem to realise this was going to affect his party in two days.  "Just, try and make the end of the party, okay?"  Peter nodded quickly. 

"I will,"  Peter promised.  Pepper still seemed upset, but at least she wasn't angry with him.  Peter could deal with disappointment; it wouldn't last very long anyway.  Anger, though, often led to keeping him from being able to do Spider-Man and he was always worried his parents would piece two and two together.  So far they hadn't, but Peter wasn't sure how long that would last after Theo's party.


	5. Chapter 5

Peter was struggling with his voice modifier.  He had asked FRIDAY about it in the suit, but she said she couldn't tell him.  Karen was no help as she couldn't hack his dad's computer without raising alarms.  That meant his only other option was to pretend to be interested in the suit and all it could do.  His dad was easy to kiss up too, though.  He loved talking about his Iron Man suit.  Peter would definitely be learning more than necessary when he asked his dad. 

"Why the sudden interest?"  Tony asked after Peter asked.  Peter shrugged but Tony was still waiting for an answer. 

"I wanted to start robotics again next year, but I know they covered a bunch of things I wasn't there for,"  Peter said.  He'd thought up that lie ahead of time with Karen's help.  "I want to be able to stay at the top, you know?  And if I know all about the Iron Man suit, then I'll have even more advanced knowledge." 

"Well, you've come to the right place,"  his dad said.  He unlocked his computer and pulled up all the Iron Man files.  Peter couldn't believe it.  Was he really going to send Peter all the files?  He could make Spider-Man even cooler if he had all that tech!  "What do you want to learn about first?"  Tony asked.  He didn't look like he was sending Peter the files, but that was okay.  Peter had a photographic memory and he now knew his dad's computer password. 

"I was thinking the helmet,"  Peter said, pointing to his head.  "You know, work top to bottom."  Tony nodded proudly. 

"Good thinking!"  he said.  He pulled Harley's computer chair over to his desk and told Peter to sit, he was about to learn so much about the Iron Man suit he could make one himself.  "But if you do, you're grounded for life.  Not to mention what your mom would do."  Peter nodded, eyes wide.  He knew he would be in so much trouble if he did. 

"Got it,"  he said. 

* * *

Peter had definitely heard enough about the Iron Man suit he could recreate it in a coma.  His dad had spent all afternoon, before and after dinner, explaining every small detail to Peter.  Some things Peter made sure to remember; they could be useful when out at Spider-Man.  For example, being able to answer phone calls through the suit without his phone.  That would be nice.  His mom wouldn't yell at him from not answering her seven calls while at Ned's house.  Being able to scan buildings for heat signatures would be great too.  Then he could quickly find people in burning buildings or see if an abandoned alleyway really was abandoned (it hadn't been one time).  There were many other things Peter wanted to add to Karen's abilities, but he first needed to get the voice modifier in.  Unfortunately, Iron Man didn't have a very good one.  It was still fairly easy to tell who was speaking, but it was a start. 

"Goodnight, Peter,"  FRIDAY said, turning off his bedroom lights.  He set an alarm on his phone for three hours then fell asleep.  He needed to get down to his dad's lab and read all those files.  He hadn't been able to look at all he wanted, but he knew he would be fine if he could just read through them all once. 

Despite knowing why he was waking up at 2:00AM, he still didn't like it.  He grabbed his phone and tiptoed out of his room.  A light was on in the bathroom, so he hurried past it and rushed down the stairs as silently as he could.  He knew some creaked, though, so he climbed onto the wall and scurried down to the lab.  He carefully climbed off the wall and scanned his hand print.  The doors opened, much louder than Peter wanted, and he ran inside.  He quickly logged onto his dad's computer and found the Iron Man suit files.  He opened each one and skimmed through it as fast as he could, making sure he glanced at every word and read it to himself. 

It took a lot longer than he expected.  He was a fast reader, but there were a lot of files he wanted to read through.  He skipped the ones he didn't need right away and the ones he didn't want anyway, but he still wasn't done until 5:30AM.  He closed all the files, erased the day's history and logged off his dad's computer.  Unfortunately, he knew his mom was probably up by now.  Sneaking back into his just for another hour and a half of sleep would be risky.  He knew it would be riskier to just stay in the lab, though, as if he waited any longer to go upstairs, more people would be awake and his dad would be really suspicious.  It was best if he just went now. 

He relied on his spidey sense the entire way.  He crept up the stairs, not using the wall in case his mom saw him, and tiptoed quickly across the living room.  He stopped, holding his breath when he heard someone walking down the bedroom hall.  He pressed himself against the wall, not even blinking as the person approached.  As a last thought, he crawled up the wall and onto the ceiling, laying flat.  His mom walked by underneath him and into the kitchen.  Once she was out of sight, he raced across the ceiling to his room so fast that by the time he reached his room, he was panting.  He silently opened and closed his door, stepping into his room.  He hurried over to his bed and burrowed down under the covers before relaxing.  He was safe.


	6. Chapter 6

Peter spent all Spanish, English, and History class on his laptop.  It wasn't unusual; the school required each student have their own laptops and used them in every class.  Thankfully they were supposed to be working on a research project in Spanish, a book report in English, and a presentation in History.  He didn't work on any of them.  Instead, he used his phone as a personal hot spot so he could access his private server and his teacher couldn't see his screen.  He spent all morning writing up the code for Karen's update.  By lunch, he was nearly done.  He got his food then sat at a table, opening up his laptop to finish the update.  It included a voice modifier, something that had taken nearly all of Spanish class to create as the Iron Man suit had a basic one.  The rest he just copied down straight from the Iron Man copy.  It was a lot of typing, but his teachers had thought he was working busily so he didn't mind. 

"So, did your dad believe you?"  Ned asked, sitting beside Peter.  Peter didn't look up, saving Karen's update then search for his Spider-Man suit.  It needed to be online for the update to work.  "Did you hear me?"  Ned asked, waving a hand in front of Peter.  Peter batted it away, turning his mask on but keeping it in his backpack. 

"Yeah, he did,"  Peter answered.  He hit upload on the update and a loading bar popped up.  Karen was being updated and was sure to be happy.  "Yeah, I had to argue a bit, but they both believed me.  Harley was no help."  Peter glared at Harley as he passed their table.  Harley shrugged and continued on. 

"How's you voice modifier going?"  Ned asked.  Peter pointed to his laptop that was half way closed and sitting in front of him. 

"Uploading as we speak,"  he answered.  He took a bite of his tuna sandwich and grimaced.  Cafeteria food really was the worst.  "Karen is going to be thrilled."  Ned gave him a look. 

"Dude, you really need to stop treating your AI like a human,"  he said.  Peter looked at him in mock offence. 

"But she is!  She's human at heart!"  Peter declared.  Flash walked by and scoffed at them, causing Peter and Ned to both drop their smiles and internally groan. 

"Who?  Your robot girlfriend?"  he snickered.  Peter rolled his eyes. 

"Haha, real funny, Flash,"  he said dryly.  Flash glared at Peter and walked off to his own table.  Once he was gone, Peter and Ned went back to talking.  Peter told Ned how he'd gotten his dad to tell him all about the Iron Man suit along with how he got the updates for Karen.  Of course, Ned asked Peter to tell him all about the suit.  Peter promised he would after school.  He wasn't going to go out as Spider-Man today for nearly as long.  He just wanted to go out for an hour or so and be seen buying something for a little kid.  Theo would be thrilled to discover Spider-Man went shopping for a gift for him. 

"You should get him a Spider-Man action figure!"  Ned exclaimed.  Peter looked at him in confusion.  He didn't know they had those.  "Yeah!  They just started making them." 

"Really?"  Peter asked.  He was sure his dad was getting Theo one if that was true.  "Dad's probably getting him one, then.  I'll just get him an Avengers t-shirt or something.  He loves the Avengers almost as much as Spider-Man." 

"Who doesn't?"  Ned asked.  Peter chuckled and grabbed his uneaten tuna sandwich.  He stood up and carried his food to the trash and tossed it out.  When he returned to the table, he grabbed his laptop to check how much longer the update would take.  It was only 34% done and his next class was calculus.  Using his laptop in calculus would be a lot more suspicious than any of his morning classes. 

"It's taking forever,"  Peter groaned.  Ned bit into his PB&J, glancing at Peter's laptop as well. 

"It's a big update,"  he said with his mouth full.  Peter knew that, but that didn't help him or make anything better.  "Just put it in the desk and ignore it." 

"I'll get caught,"  Peter said.  Ned shook his head. 

"Only if you're stupid,"  he replied.  Peter rolled his eyes as the update went from 34% to 35%. 

"Thanks, Ned,"  he said sarcastically.  Ned grinned innocently as the lunch bell rang.  Time to see if Ned's idea would work or not.


	7. Chapter 7

The good news was, Ned's plan had actually worked.  The bad news was that they were taking a test in chemistry so all computers were to remain in backpacks.  Peter managed to crack his laptop enough it would continue to update then carefully put it in his backpack.  He glanced at it worriedly throughout the test and was very careful when he picked up his bag after finishing the test.  He went out into the hall and sat outside the gym.  He pulled out his laptop and looked at it.  98% complete.  It was really sped up during chemistry as it had been at 54% when he started his test. 

PE was awful as always, but Peter was looking forward to being Spider-Man with all his new updates.  He managed to change quickly then run out of the school building.  He ran down to his regular abandoned alley and changed into his new suit, pulling the mask on and then the rest of his suit.  He turned the suit on and Karen came to life, thanking him to the update and telling him she enjoyed all the new features. 

"Glad you're happy,"  Peter said, swinging through the city.  "How's the heat signature detector?"  Peter asked.  Karen scanned a nearby apartment building and told him there were 78 people inside, mostly elderly with a few middle aged and a couple kids inside. 

"It's flawless,"  Karen told him.  Peter grinned.  Of course it was.  His dad had created it and everything he made was flawless (except for Ultron, but Peter purposely left that out). 

"Great, let's see how the voice modifier works,"  Peter said.  Karen called Ned and activated the voice modifier.  Ned answered in his usual way, but screamed when Peter talked.  "What?  What's going on?"  Peter asked, worried Ned was in danger. 

"Who are you?  Why do you have Peter's phone?"  Ned asked.  Peter sighed.  Ned wasn't in danger.  That was good. 

"Ned, it's Peter,"  he said.  He told Karen to turn the voice modifier off.  "I used the modifier.  Is it too obvious?" 

"No, it works great,"  Ned said.  Peter was happy to hear that.  He didn't have the time or the energy to code a new one tonight before the party.  "Believable and flawless." 

"So far everything I've added is flawless,"  Peter told him.  Ned paused for a moment. 

"Are you out Spider-Manning?"  he asked.  Peter said he was and Ned turned into a panicked mother of three.  "Peter Stark!  Do you know how dangerous that is?  Get off your phone right now!  Call me when you're done."  Peter laughed and dropped down in front of a small store. 

"Okay, mom,"  he said.  He hung up and walked into the store.  The owner was surprised to see him, but quickly greeted him and said there wasn't any problems there.  "I'm here for a birthday present,"  Peter told him. 

"Oh, of course!"  the owner cried, clasping his hands together.  "I hope you find what you're looking for."  Peter nodded and went off in search of something Theo would like.  He ended up grabbing two things: one from Spider-Man and one from Peter.  He walked over to the cash register and the owner rang up the items. 

"So, did you start this store yourself?"  Peter asked, inserting his card into the reader.  The owner shook his head, tapping his screen without glancing at it.  _Good_ ,  Peter thought.  He didn't want to owner seeing the name on his card. 

"It was my father's,"  the man said.  Peter nodded and pulled out his card.  The owner handed him the receipt along with a bag carrying the two presents.  "Have a good day, Spider-Man!" 

"You too!"  Peter replied.  He was nearly out the door when the owner asked him to wait.  Peter stopped and turned around to look at him, worried the man had found out his name after all. 

"Can I have a photo?"  the man asked shyly, holding up a phone.  Peter grinned and nodded. 

"Sure,"  he answered.  He walked over to the man and threw up a peace sign.  The man snapped a photo and thanked him.  "No problem,"  Peter told him.  He walked out of the store and pulled the plastic bag over his shoulder as a way to carry it while he swung through New York.  It was kind of awkward, but it worked better than carrying it and swinging with one hand, so he shrugged and pulled himself into the air.  Theo would love both presents.


	8. Chapter 8

Peter was nervous.  Harley had just called him to say the party was in full swing.  Peter was at Ned's house, Spider-Man suit in his backpack along with the gift.  He changed in Ned's room then pulled his backpack over his shoulders.  No use leaving it at Ned's house.  He could just drop it off in his room before crawling over to the living room windows to get in.  He'd purposely left one of his window panels open so he could get in and drop his stuff off. 

"Good luck, man,"  Ned said.  Peter nodded and jumped out Ned's window.  He swung towards the Tower, throwing himself up as high as he could.  He scaled the building, refusing to look down, and stopped when Karen announced they had reached his room.  He climbed inside and searched his backpack for the present Spider-Man was giving Theo.  Once he found it.  He webbed it to his chest for lack of better options and jumped out his window.  He webbed a window when he neared the ground and hit the ground softly.  He still stumbled and ended up falling on his face.  He managed not to crush the present, though, so he counted his landing as a success.  It definitely could have gone worse. 

Peter walked in through the lobby, waving at the receptionist and telling her he was here for a birthday party.  She just nodded silently, taking him over to the Stark family private elevator and telling him how to get up.  Peter thanked her and the elevator doors closed.  Karen had activated the voice modifier on his way down from his room, so he didn't need to do that.  For some reason, he just felt anxious.  His spidey sense hadn't gone off, though, so he knew it was just nerves. 

When the elevator doors opened, letting him out at the penthouse, Peter tentatively walked off.  He spotted Harley across the room, talking to one of his friends who happened to be one of Theo's friends' older brother.  Once Spider-Man walked off the elevator, the room went silent.  Harley looked up and grinned across the room at his brother.  Peter smiled back, but he knew Harley couldn't see it. 

"Um, hey, everyone,"  Peter said awkwardly, giving a small wave.  The kids were the first to recover, all running over to him excitedly.  Peter smiled and hugged them all.  When he came to Theo, he pulled back and took the present that had been webbed to his chest.  It was covered in webbing and Peter frowned.  "Sorry.  It was wrapped nice, but I couldn't get it here safely otherwise,"  Peter said, handing the webbed package to Theo. 

"Awesome!"  Theo exclaimed.  He looked at the webbing closely, poking and prodding at it.  He seemed more excited to discover it was covered in Spider-Man's webbing.  "Can I open it now?"  he asked eagerly. 

"Sure,"  Peter nodded.  Theo carefully pulled the webbing off, asking Spider-Man to hold it for him.  He then tore open the paper Peter had found at Ned's house and pulled out a pair of night vision spy goggles. 

"Whoa!"  Theo squealed, struggling to open the box.  Peter helped him and Theo put them on.  "Nothing changed,"  he frowned. 

"They're night vision goggles,"  Peter explained.  "They help you see in the dark.  They won't do much in the daylight." 

"Oh,"  Theo said.  He took on the goggles and returned them to their box carefully.  He rushed to hand to box to his mom then hugged Spider-Man tightly.  "Thank you, thank you, thank you!"  

"No problem,"  Peter said, hugging Theo back.  "Happy birthday, kid." 

* * *

Peter spent the rest of the party playing games with the kids.  He didn't eat any cake, not wanting to take off his mask, but acted surprised to see it was a Spider-Man cake.  Theo told him how Spider-Man was his favourite hero.  Peter didn't stop smiling the whole time.  Seeing Theo so happy made him glad he had lied to his parents (which was a weird thought for him).  He played twister, pin the Spider-Man to the web, and red light green light before saying he had to leave.  It was 5:30PM and he had seen his mom looking at the elevator expectantly. 

"Aw man,"  Theo whined when Peter told him he needed to leave.  All the other kids whined as well, resulting the parents telling them to all be nice.  Spider-Man gave them all hugs then got back in the elevator.  He waved until the doors closed.  Once he was down at the lobby, he went into the guest bathroom.  He found the backpack of clothes he'd hidden under the sinks, web nearly gone.  He grabbed it and changed in a stall, shoving his Spider-Man suit in his backpack.  He walked out, waving to a few workers, and got in the private elevator.  He rode it back upstairs and walked inside to see the kids opening presents. 

"I was wondering when you'd show up,"  Pepper said, stepping beside Peter.  He gave him a smile, but it wavered when he saw her watching him.  "You missed Spider-Man." 

"No, I saw him on his way out,"  Peter said, pointing to the elevator.  "Seems like a fun guy.  Did he stay long?" 

"Longer than you,"  Pepper replied.  Peter frowned.  He could tell something was wrong.  She was disappointed in him, that was easy to see, but he felt like something else was wrong too. 

"Sorry, Decathlon ran late and then Ned's mom couldn't pick us up right away because of traffic,"  Peter said.  Pepper just hummed then walked over to help the kids clean up the wrapping paper mess.  Theo said goodbye to all his friends then showed Peter all his gifts. 

"Spider-Man gave me night seeing goggles!"  Theo said, showing Peter the package.  Peter smiled. 

"That's awesome,"  he replied.  Theo nodded.  "That reminds me, I have a gift for you too.  I'll go get it."  He got up from where he'd been sitting on the floor beside Theo and walked to his bedroom.  He found the gift he'd gotten for Theo then walked back out to the living room.  Theo frowned when he saw it. 

"It better not be a book,"  he said.  Peter chuckled and handed it to his baby brother. 

"Just open it,"  he told him.  Theo did and gasped when he revealed a book dedicated to paper airplanes.  He opened it up, flipping through the see all the different kinds of airplanes he could learn to make. 

"Wow!"  he said.  He hugged Peter tightly.  "Thank you!"  Peter said it was no problem then left to find Harley while Theo played with his new gifts.  Harley was eating more ice cream, but he scooted a piece of cake over to Peter. 

"Thanks,"  Peter said, sitting on a stool and taking the cake. 

"Mom almost wouldn't let me save it for you,"  Harley told him.  Peter frowned, taking a bite of the cake.  "She's really upset you didn't come until it was practically over."  Peter sighed. 

"Yeah, I figured,"  he replied.  He finished his cake quickly, regretting not having some as Spider-Man too.  "It's alright, though.  Theo had a good time.  I can take whatever mom gives me."  Harley gave him a doubtful look. 

"Good luck,"  he said.  Peter nodded.  He knew he'd need it.


	9. Chapter 9

Peter sat on his bed, working on his laptop and trying to finish his Spanish research project.  After working for two whole days on nothing but Spider-Man updates and trying to get ready for Theo's birthday party, he'd fallen behind.  It was due the following Monday, so he would have to work on it over the weekend.  He knew it wouldn't be hard, just time consuming which meant less Spider-Man and less sleep. 

"Peter?"  Pepper asked, knocking on Peter's door.  Peter looked up from his laptop, telling her to come in.  When she did, he was surprised to see his dad following her.  He immediately got a bad vibe and knew he was in trouble.  Thankfully his arm hairs didn't stand up.  That was a little more noticeable than his pounding heart. 

"What's up, mom?"  Peter asked, saving his work and closing his laptop.  He had a feeling this was going to be a long conversation. 

"We know you weren't at Decathlon today,"  Tony said.  Peter forced himself to continue breathing normally.  "Happy called Mr. Harrington to ask what time he should pick you up, but Mr. Harrington said he had no clue what Happy was talking about."  Peter swallowed. 

"Sorry,"  he said, knowing he had been caught on that lie.  "I just, a Spider-Man themed party again?  I just wanted to hang out with Ned again."  Pepper nodded in understanding but that didn't ease his mind. 

"That's what we thought too,"  she said.  Peter knew he was screwed.  "Mrs. Leeds said she picked you up from school right at 3:00PM.  However, you disappeared at 3:45PM and Ned said she had just missed you leaving." 

"MJ needed help,"  Peter interjected.  Tony gave Peter a sharp look and he decided interrupting was not in his favour.  He was going to just stay quiet now. 

"Guess who showed up ten minutes later?"  Pepper asked.  Peter was trying to think how fast he could pack up all his things and leave.  He was definitely dead.  "Spider-Man.  And ten minutes after he left, Peter came in.  Not only that, but Spider-Man brought Theo a present that had been paid for with Peter Stark's credit card."  Peter was sure his parents could hear his heart pounding.  He felt so bad, mostly because he'd been caught and he knew now his mom was going to freak out, but also because it probably meant he wouldn't be Spider-Man ever again. 

"Harley knew,"  Tony said.  They had talked to Harley?  "We asked him if he did once we figured it out and he's a really bad liar."  He was.  Almost as bad as Peter, although Peter had gotten much better at it after becoming Spider-Man. 

"Peter, why didn't you tell us you were Spider-Man?"  Pepper asked.  Peter looked down at his lap when he noticed tears in his mom's eyes.  This wasn't how he imagined today ending. 

"I knew you wouldn't let me continue,"  he said quietly.  He heard his dad sigh. 

"Of course we wouldn't!  It's dangerous,"  Tony replied.  Peter felt tears of his own prick his eyes.  They were going to take Spider-Man away from him.  He wouldn't let that happen.  "You're too young to be a superhero." 

"Yeah?  Well I am and I'm not gonna stop,"  Peter said, getting defensive.  He refused to cry and be the bad guy in the scenario.  He could go live with Ned if they kicked him out.  Nothing was more important to him than Spider-Man.  "I have these incredible, freaky powers that give me the ability to do crazy things.  I can't just not use them,"  Peter said, raising his hands and looking at them. 

"You're a high school student,"  Pepper reminded him. 

"With powers!"  Peter yelled.  Pepper looked taken aback and Peter immediately felt bad.  "I'm sorry, mom.  God, I didn't mean to yell.  It's just, I finally have something that makes me not just 'Tony Stark's Oldest Son'." 

"Is there something wrong with being my son?"  Tony asked.  Peter shook his head quickly, standing up. 

"Of course not!"  he said, trying to backtrack.  "It's just, you don't want to be known as Howard Stark's son—" 

"That's different,"  Tony said immediately, standing up as well.  Peter stopped.  He'd never heard his dad use such a dark tone with him before.  "That is completely different." 

"Is it, though?  I just want something that makes me different,"  Peter said, trying to prove why Spider-Man was so important.  He had the feeling his parents weren't understanding.  "You're a wonderful dad and I love you so much, but it's hard being known as just your son.  I'm not even Peter Stark, just Tony Stark's son." 

"Peter, we're not trying to hurt you,"  Pepper said.  Peter groaned, pulling at his hair and turning in a partial circle.  They weren't getting it! 

"I'm not stopping Spider-Man!"  he yelled.  Pepper and Tony both stared at him.  "You can try and ground me or take it away, but I'm not gonna stop because you think it's dangerous.  There are people out there that need my help.  They need me to go out there everyday and help them because they can't help themselves, but I can!"  He looked around his room for his backpack and suit.  He pulled out his suit and tossed at into their laps.  "You can take it away, but I'll just make more and keep going out.  I'm not going to stop,"  he said.  Tony carefully picked up the suit, looking at it closely. 

"You made this?"  he asked after a while.  Peter nodded, waiting for him to yell at him or something.  He didn't.  He grabbed the mask and slipped it over his head.  The eyes lit up and Peter heard a barely audible gasp come from his dad along with Karen's voice.  Pepper didn't hear it, though, and he wondered how well his dad could.  Karen was made to be quiet enough it didn't overwhelm his senses.  "What's all on this thing?"  Tony asked.  Peter heard Karen describe to him everything the suit was capable of and a small smile appeared on his face.  He could tell based on the mask's oblong shape his dad's mouth was open. 

"What's going on?"  Pepper asked.  Tony pulled off the mask, staring at Peter wide eyed.  Pepper took the mask and put it on.  When she pulled it off, she looked just as amazed as Tony. 

"You created that?"  Tony asked.  Peter nodded hesitantly.  "That's why you wanted to know about my Iron Man suit?"  Peter nodded again. 

"I had already put in most of it,"  Peter said.  He told his dad how he added the heat signature scanning, phone answering ability, horizon line, and a few other things after sneaking into the lab and unlocking the computer.  No use keeping anything a secret.  Tony looked more proud than upset.  "All the other stuff though, I coded myself.  Ned helped, of course." 

"That's amazing,"  Tony said.  Peter nodded.  Tony glanced at Pepper.  "His suit is almost better than mine.  Of course, it's made of spandex and should definitely be upgraded to nanetech before he goes out again, but it's more prepared for disaster." 

"Wait, I can go out again?"  Peter asked excitedly.  It was really as easy as showing his parents Karen and the suit's abilities. 

"After you're done being grounded,"  Pepper told him.  Peter didn't even bother frowning.  It was better than nothing.  He hugged both his parents tightly, thanking them over and over again. 

"I'll make you proud!"  Peter promised.  Tony patted his back and he pulled away. 

"You already have,"  he said.


	10. Chapter 10

Peter was grounded for a month.He had to do all the house cleaning, no going to Ned's house, Spider-Man could only be out from the end of school until 5PM, and he had a bedtime of 9:30PM.Harley had been grounded for keeping the secret as well, but he was only grounded for two weeks and had a curfew of 10:00PM.Theo seemed oblivious to what had happened, only aware that he didn't have to do chores for a month.He figured it was just an extra birthday present and moved on.The rest of the family had decided it was probably best he didn't know about Peter being Spider-Man.Theo wasn't too good with secrets and he was barely seven years old.

"I heard you got caught,"Ned whispered during Spanish.Peter nodded."Are you giving up Spider-Man?"

"Nope!"Peter said proudly."They only grounded me for a month.I have to do all the house cleaning, I can't go to your house, and Spider-Man can only happen until 5PM.I also have a 9:30PM curfew."

"That's great!"Ned exclaimed.The teacher looked at him sternly and his face turned red.They were supposed to be quietly working on their projects.Ned lowered his voice."I mean, it sucks, but at least you can still... you know."

"Yeah,"Peter agreed.He was pretty happy with how it all turned out too.

* * *

Peter swung into the open lab window, stumbling across the floor but managing to not crash into anything.It was 4:58PM and he was home.His dad had told him to just come in through the lab window, promising to leave it open, and they could work on getting Peter's suit upgraded.Tony had gotten excited, though, and finished the suit before Peter was even at lunch.He had emailed the designs to Shuri who had created it using her own technology, designing the suit so Peter could take bullets and they would bounce off.She'd said something about kinetic and redistribution, but Tony had been too busy trying not to cry with how happy he was to really pay attention.

"I'm back!"Peter sang, pulling off his mask.He ran a hand through his hair and walked over to his dad's desk.A box was sitting there with his name on it.Tony pushed it to him and watched excitedly while Peter slowly opened it.

"Open it faster!"  Tony exclaimed.  Peter rolled his eyes and opened the box quicker.  He stopped when he saw what was inside.  "So?  What do you think?"  Tony asked excitedly.  Peter just stared at it and Tony felt his hope of Peter liking the suit disappear.   "I got excited and designed it myself, so I understand if you don't like it.  You can recreate it if you want, but Wakanda has some pretty good resources for making super good suits, so you still have to send it there, I just thought maybe if I surprised you with it you would—"

"I love it!"  Peter cried, throwing his arm arms around his dad.  Tony smiled and hugged him back tightly.  Peter pulled away quickly and stripped off his old suit.  He pulled the new one on and laughed happily when the eyes lit up and he discovered Karen was inside.

"Hello, Peter,"  she said.  Peter knew she had been upgraded, but he didn't care.  This suit was the awesomest thing in the world!

"How did you even make this?"  Peter asked.  His mask dissolved and he squealed in delight.  "That's so cool,"  he wheezed. 

"Wakanda's electronics developer is the Princess and she was more than willing to help when I told her it was for Spider-Man,"  Tony told him.  Of course, Peter then wanted to know all about the technology the country had and Tony had to promise to take him there one day.

"I want to personally thank the person who made this suit because it is so awesome!"   Peter exclaimed.  He looked at his dad shyly.  "Can I—"

"I'm coming too!"  Tony declared.  He suited up and both of them flew out of the lab window.  The whole time, Peter couldn't stop chattering about his awesome new suit.  Tony didn't mind.  As long as Peter was happy with his super safe suit, he would listen to his son's endless talking all day long.  At least, until Pepper scolded them both (Tony more so than Peter) for staying out patrolling late.

**The End**


	11. Author’s Note

Hey, everyone!  Thank you all so much for reading my story!  It's a little shorter than usual, but I didn't know how to continue it without dragging it on and on and on.  I hope you all enjoyed it!  If you haven't already, go check out some of my other Peter and Tony books.  I also have a few other books up you might enjoy along with some fun short stories inspired by Tumblr posts or fanart.  Thanks for reading!

\- shewritesall


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